ABC News Daily

The Russian president is about to tighten his grip on power in a farcical, so-called election. 

It means he’ll have another six years at the helm, at least. 

Today, Russia expert Matthew Sussex from the Griffith Asia Institute on how Vladimir Putin has transformed Russia into a dictatorship and how much further he’s willing to go. 

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Matthew Sussex, adjunct associate professor at the Griffith Asia Institute

While other countries were embracing nuclear power decades ago, Australia put a ban on it. 

Now the federal opposition wants to lift that ban and build nuclear power plants on the sites of ageing coal-fired power stations. 

Today, we investigate the feasibility of the idea with Dylan McConnell, an energy systems analyst at the University of New South Wales. 

We ask why would we go down that path when renewable energy is surging ahead?

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Dylan McConnell, renewable energy and energy systems analyst at UNSW Sydney

The big news publishers in Australia are in an almighty stand-off with Mark Zuckerberg and the tech giant he heads. 

Meta runs Facebook and has decided its users don’t care for news content anymore and it doesn’t want to pay for it. 

The Australian government now faces a choice; pursue Facebook and risk all news being blocked from the site, or let the funding deals currently in place with media companies come to an end, putting journalists’ jobs in jeopardy.

Today, is it game over for journalism when social media dumps news? 

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Monica Attard, co-director of the centre for media transition at the University of Technology Sydney

A beaming photo of the Princess of Wales and her children, taken by Prince William, was supposed to kill off wild conspiracy theories about Catherine’s health. 

But after sending it around the world, the Associated Press news agency removed the photo from circulation over concerns that it may have been manipulated and did not meet its standards.

Today, royal commentator Juliet Rieden reveals the royal family’s tactics to control the images that get out into the wild. 

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Juliet Rieden, royal commentator

Five months since the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza began, the death toll has climbed above 30,000, according to Gaza health authorities. 

About a third of the victims are children and global leaders have been increasing pressure on Israel to pause the fighting and let more humanitarian aid into the territory. 

Today, Global Affairs Editor John Lyons takes us to the Middle East as part of a special Four Corners' investigation into Israel’s approach to the war and the role its ally the United States is playing. 

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John Lyons, ABC Global Affairs Editor

A rematch for the US presidency pitting Donald Trump against Joe Biden has been all-but locked-in after the Super Tuesday votes. 

But many Americans are dreading the contest, with high disapproval ratings for the two presidents. 

Today, Trump’s possible return to the White House.

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Geoffrey Kabaservice, vice president of political studies at the Niskanen Center in Washington DC

For years, there have been financial incentives to encourage households to install rooftop solar and feed excess power back to the grid. 

It’s helping the green energy transition and driving down power bills for those able to afford the upfront costs. 

But the so-called “feed-in” tariffs are being cut as there’s a massive oversupply of energy on sunny days. 

Today, energy reporter Dan Mercer on whether rooftop solar is still worth it. 

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Daniel Mercer, ABC energy reporter

For more than 20 years, Australians have turned to botox when unwanted wrinkles begin to emerge.

It’s widely seen as a harmless way to look younger without surgery. 

Until recently botox and other cosmetic fillers have gone largely unchecked, so why have regulators decided to crackdown now?

Today, we speak to a long-time botox user and a health law expert about why we need to rethink what we’re injecting. 

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Alison Rice, former botox user

Dr Christopher Rudge, law lecturer at the University of Sydney

Have you ever struggled to get a response from an insurer, or have they fought you on the details of a claim? 

The profitable insurance companies are facing increasing scrutiny and customers are calling them out for not paying out. 

Today, investigative reporter Adele Ferguson reveals the firms’ ‘delay and deny’ tactics that make them so hard to deal with. 

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Adele Ferguson, ABC investigative reporter

Every so often a product comes along that takes us by storm and in the process, shifts spending and changes economies. 

The iPhone, Netflix and ChatGPT spring to mind.

But less obvious is something like Ozempic, the drug that’s now helping millions of people around the world lose weight.

Today, the ABC’s business editor Ian Verrender on how it’s breaking down business models of fast-food giants and health companies. 

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Ian Verrender, ABC business editor